3 Billerica parishes will share staffs under reorg.

By Grant Welker, gwelker@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/11/2013 06:36:35 AM EST

BILLERICA -- Three Catholic parishes in town -- Saint Mary, Saint Theresa and Saint Andrew -- will combine their staffs as part of the Archdiocese of Boston's plan to consolidate churches into about 135 "collaboratives."

The three Billerica parishes will share one pastor, who has not yet been named, and some staff, said the Rev. James Kelly, a priest at Saint Andrews. Other details, such as whether Mass schedules at each of the parishes will be affected, have not yet been determined, he said.

"That remains to be seen, honestly," Kelly said. "No one has ever done this before."

None of the three churches will close. Each will retain its name, buildings, financial assets and obligations.

The Archdiocese named 12 collaboratives consisting of 28 parishes on Thursday, the first phase in a series as the church combines operations at churches as it responds to falling numbers of parishioners and priests. Pastors for each collaborative are scheduled to be named in March and be trained in May and June, according to the Archdiocese. The collaboratives will be formally set on July 1, but the plan will take place over the coming years.

Pastoral teams, parish councils, finance councils and school boards will begin training in September. A development team will work through 2014 on details of a plan for each collaborative. The collaboratives will be phased in over a period of five years, officially beginning combined operations by January 2015.

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"During this first phase, we pledge our full support to the dedicated priests, parish staffs, parishioners and lay volunteers who will lead the way for our efforts to fully embrace the New Evangelization," Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a statement announcing the first collaboratives.

Among other groups created in the first phase were parishes in Methuen, Belmont, Lynn and Salem.

Staff at Saint Mary and Saint Theresa, by far the largest of the three Billerica parishes, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. The three parishes don't have much collaboration now, Kelly said, but will begin to do so in the next six months.

The three Billerica parishes have significant overlap in Mass schedules.

On Sundays, Saint Andrew and Saint Theresa both have 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses, while Saint Mary has Masses at 8:30 and 10:30. Saint Andrew and Saint Mary both have 4 p.m. Masses on Saturday, and Saint Theresa has one at 4:30. Saint Andrew and Saint Theresa each have weekday Masses at 9 a.m.

The number of Masses at the three churches has fallen by 55 percent since 1989, when the data began being tracked, according to the Archdiocese. The number of marriages has fallen from 117 in 1989 to 21 last year. Baptisms are down 57 percent during that time, and confirmations by 44 percent.

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